bail out

/beɪl aʊt/

/beɪl aʊt/

Other forms: bailed out; bailing out; bails out

To bail out is to remove water from a boat by scooping it. You'll have to bail out that rowboat and patch those holes in the bottom before you head out on your adventure!

If you bail out the canoe while your friend paddles, you're helping to stop it (and you) from sinking. And if you bail out someone who's in jail, you help them by paying the fee — known as bail — required to keep them from spending the night in a cell. You can also figuratively bail someone out, just by helping them out of a difficult situation: “Thanks for bailing me out when I forgot my lunch money!”

Definitions of bail out

1. verb

   remove (water) from a boat by dipping and throwing over the side
   synonyms: bale out

   type of:

   remove, take, take away, withdraw

   remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract
2. verb

   rescue someone or something from a difficult situation
3. noun

   a rescue from financial distress
4. verb

   free on bail
   type of:

   free, liberate, loose, release, unloose, unloosen

   grant freedom to; free from confinement